<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Reflections from the pond by Verse</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26771209">Reflections from the pond</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verse/pseuds/Verse'>Verse</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fate/Grand Order</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:53:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>280</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26771209</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verse/pseuds/Verse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ereshkigal meets Saber Astolfo. Saber didn't expect her to notice the difference between them and their rider self.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ereshkigal |Lancer/Astolfo | Rider of Black</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Reflections from the pond</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>anon on tumblr: Since there’s Astolfo in a maid costume - consider him calling Eresh “Master” and watching her burst into flames.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>So, you’re my Rider self’s lover, huh?”</p><p>Saber leans across the table, grinning wide. They’ve barely been summoned a couple days back, yet they already act so flippantly around her.</p><p>No matter the class, no matter the level of closeness, in the end, Astolfo is always Astolfo.</p><p>It’s. Distracting. Astolfo in general is very distracting, and Saber’s outfit certainly doesn’t help. The dress… pretty. The bunny ears… cute.</p><p>And under the maid costume. By all mesopotamian gods. They’re <em>ripped</em>. She can <em>see</em> how buff their arms are under the sleeves. She can <em>see</em> how broad their chest are.</p><p>This is so unfair. Being this attractive can’t be legal.</p><p>“I hope we can be friends!” Astolfo beams, blissfully unaware of her thirst. They do a little bow, because of course, and wink at her. “A pleasure to meet you, mistress.” And Ereshkigal freezes.</p><p>“Ah… sorry, too familiar?” Astolfo chuckles sheepishly. “My bad, my bad. You know how I am sometimes. I won’t do it again.”</p><p><em>Mistress</em>.</p><p>No sing-song voice. No exclamation. No intonation. Flat word, flat tone, no emotion.</p><p>Her gaze falls back on them. Now that she’s paying attention, something is… off. They’re way too still, for a start. Astolfo never stops moving. They’re too still, and there’s a strain in their shoulders, and their smile looks just a little too forced-</p><p>“You have your sanity back, don’t you?”</p><p>Saber stops breathing.</p><p>“… Ah.” Their shoulders fall. From defeat or fatigue, she can’t tell. <em>(She can’t tell what this Astolfo is thinking.) </em>“I see why Rider me fell for you." </p><p>They smile again, but this one is a lot smaller. More muted. Still, it’s genuine. "You see right through us, huh?”</p><p></p><div class="info">
  <p> </p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>fucks me up how saber astolfo hates having their reason back so hard they have not one but two dialogue lines telling you they loathe it</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>